The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Contract medical consultants for government hospitals

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Contract medical consultants for government hospitals

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MARCH 21. The State Government has recruited "contract medical consultants" to serve in government hospitals until regular appointees join duty, Health Minister N. Thalavai Sundaram told the Assembly today.

Participating in a debate on the Health Demands, he said the Chief Minister had sanctioned the appointment of 2,322 medical officers through the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission. Pending selection, the Government decided to appoint the contract consultants as a stopgap measure to ensure immediate health services.

They were expected to report for duty in a couple of days, Mr. Sundaram told D. Mony of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

When P. Vallalperuman (DMK) complained of lack of adequate number of nurses, the Minister said that considering the increased demand in all three tiers of health services, 11 new nursing schools were opened.

MCI inspections

The Medical Council of India conducted inspections in the Theni and Vellore Government Medical Colleges and issued a letter of intent for establishing medical colleges in the two districts with an annual intake of 100 each.

The Government sanctioned Rs. 46.93 crores for construction of the hospital and college buildings in Theni as per MCI norms in a phased manner and Rs. 51.32 crores for Vellore. With these, the total number of MBBS seats available in Tamil Nadu increased to 1,445.

The Madras Medical College and the Government General Hospital were awarded ISO 9001:2000 certificates for delivering quality medical care and high standards of medical education, the Minister said.

Psychiatric care

Jegaveerapandian (BJP) said lack of psychiatric care in tsunami-affected areas left without support those who were mentally affected.

He urged the Government to set up at least mental health camps for three months.

Mr. Sundaram said psychiatrists from Chennai were already despatched to the tsunami-affected areas.

Health rights

The Reproductive Child Health Project II, for which the World Bank had sanctioned Rs. 426 crores, would focus on ensuring the health and reproductive rights of women. To be implemented over five years from 2005, the project would focus on vulnerable groups: women and adolescents.

Already, 62 centres for emergency obstetric and newborn care to provide round-the-clock service were started and 17 more taluk hospitals would be selected.

These centres would also deal with trauma victims, integrate HIV prevention activities and offer care based on the Indian systems of medicines too.

The Minister outlined details of a congenital disorders and birth defect registry programme to enumerate problems in children under 15 and a survey to identify the prevalence of diabetes in rural Tamil Nadu.

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